Tavares Won't Need Knee Surgery

Islanders' Star Was Injured While Playing for Canada in the Winter Olympics

By

Dave Caldwell

Feb. 25, 2014 9:04 p.m. ET

Islanders center John Tavares said Tuesday that team doctors have told him he won't need surgery to repair the torn medial collateral ligament and meniscus in his left knee. Tavares, 23, injured the knee while playing for Canada last week in the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

The Islanders' captain said in an informal news conference at Nassau Coliseum that he'd suffered a similar injury to his left knee when he was 16 years old while trying out for Canada's under-18 team, and recovered fully. He won't return to action...